The Sophistoque – Gaze Of Luxury 2023 Collection

Fashion is never just about clothes.

When models showcase designs, what they reveal is the pulse of an era. Every design aims to transcend overrated trends. The question fashion enthusiasts always ask before purchasing a piece of clothing is, Does this clothing speak boldly enough to be remembered, or does it express my style or personality?

In fashion, every fabric has its own language. Every hemline speaks, every silhouette argues, and every colour insists. With designs characterised by sophistication, elegance, and beauty, Folafoluwa Oluwambo Afolabi, who founded Gaze of Luxury in 2018, has utilised this technique to create expressions that make women feel confident through their clothing.

Gaze of Luxury makes a woman not only feel good about herself but also confident. It began as a passion for creating dresses, but later evolved into a fashion brand renowned for its exquisite pieces that make a bold statement in the world of femi.

One of the many collections of Gaze of Luxury that gained great recognition is the 2023 collection. The collection was crafted for the office woman with designs that screamed stern, demanding and sensual. The 2023 collection consists of detailed pieces that will mesmerise you.

The first piece is a two-piece featuring a blouse and loose-fitted trousers. The fabric is an astounding one that looks comfortable. Let’s examine the subtle features of the beautiful piece.

The top begins with a close replica of a turtleneck. This type of neckline is commonly found in traditional Asian fashion designs. Moving on, the blouse also has a cap sleeve, which is a shorter version of the conventional short sleeve. On the front of the blouse is what appears to be an upside-down U sign. Perhaps the designer’s attempt at creating something unique. Additionally, the pocket decorated on the blouse makes it look stylish and distinctive, especially for women who prefer to put their hands into their clothing.

On the other side, the bottom features floor-length trousers that open with a 3–4-inch waistband situated at the wearer’s mid-waist. Because of its volume, the trousers can be said to be in line with the palazzo pant family. This makes this piece one that promotes comfort and breathability. The designer, along with her team, did a good job of capturing the essence of the modern-day woman, a woman who wants to be comfortable and beautiful, while still commanding the respect and attention of others. Just because you are a ‘corporate girlie’ doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look good.

While the piece is undoubtedly impressive, some minor details that could have elevated it were overlooked by the designer. In the blouse, a more flowery design would have made a better difference rather than the upside-down U used. A flowery alternative would have made the colour pop and command more attention. Also, the trouser length could use a little trim to allow for easier movement and to avoid tripping.

Moving on to the next design, Simple and Classy.

At first glance, the attire appears to be simple on the upper bodice. However, the introduction of the contrasting colour in the design of one sleeve deliberately made the blouse a unique piece.

The blouse features a slanted V-neckline, a stark contrast to the type used in the first piece. This blouse is backed by a distinctive button design that spans from the mid-junction of the neckline. For the sleeves, it is long with a 2-3cm notched opening. The unique part of this addition is the mixture of two fabrics used on either side, red and orange. The presence of sleeves in this style gives more elegance to the overall look. To wrap up the look, at the back, an interlock zipper is attached for closure and at the base, another slit appears.

The trousers in this piece follow the same design as the previous version. The designer offered no distinctive update or enhancement. They are well-suited but still offer room for freedom of movement.

This second piece is attractive. The contrasting yet in sync fabrics used were one of the amazing ideas that worked for this dress. Yet, there is still room for improvement. Firstly, the pants are almost, if not similar to, the ones found in the previous design. While we understand that it is what is trendy, the designer should have put more creativity into the making of the trousers. Also, the blouse has one too many slit openings, which made the particular feature over-flogged.

This third dress was made from two fabrics: a nude brown crepe and a black polyester crepe. It is also made up with several features, including a collared cold shoulder, ruffled sleeves, appliqué, slit and zipper.
The collared cold-shoulder style is an off-the-shoulder design. It was tilted to the right side and made to resemble a thick collar. Moving on, we have the ruffled sleeves. The sleeve seems to be taking the attention because of its ruffles. However, what’s quite catchy is that the ruffle can only be found on the right sleeve, while the left-hand sleeve remains bare. All of these features, as explained, are housed in the upper bodice of the dress and are made with a balanced combination of both fabrics.

The lower bodice is made out of black polyester crepe fabric. It is what you would most likely refer to as the skirt part of the dress. This skirt starts at the mid-waist area of the dress and runs down to the calf, making it a midi length, which automatically qualifies it as a midi dress. The only characteristic that can be found on the skirt is an appliqué. An appliqué is an ornamental needlework. It is the process whereby pieces of fabric are placed and sewn onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern. As seen in the picture, there is a curved pattern starting from the back of the skirt to the front and ending a little lower than the skirt’s length. Appliqués such as this are usually done to take away the ‘plain’ feature from a dress, and we believe that was what the designer was aiming to achieve with this. Lastly, the closing attributes of this dress are the slit and zipper at the back, which allow for a sense of ease and comfortable accessibility while wearing it.

Although this piece is just as outstanding as the first, we have reason to believe that the appliqué wasn’t intended to be added to the dress. The designer might want to consider removing it completely or placing it in a more fitting position.

Like the third dress, this outfit is a two-piece set comprising an off-shoulder top and a pair of trousers made with a nude brown silk crepe fabric. The blouse features numerous asymmetrical patterns, making it one of its kind. The first asymmetrical design feature in the blouse can be found around the neckline. Unlike other off-shoulder attire that has both sleeves off the shoulder, this dress has only one shoulder off with a slant V-shape running from the neck to the left shoulder, almost making it share a similarity with a monostrap dress.

The next feature of the blouse that we believe to be the highlight of the dress is the curved partition, lined with shank buttons, which resembles the Chinese Cheongsam outfit. The other additions, such as the small slit at the end of the top, the back zipper, and the black bias used to line the shoulders, neckline, and sleeves, make the dress very classy.

The bottom part of this attire is a unique recreation of tapered trousers. This pair of plain, slightly loose floor-length pants consists of a waistband, a coil zipper at the back, and two pockets in front.

Overall, this design is a spectacular piece, but we believe the designer could make some adjustments to the neckline. Probably, he could move the non-slanted sleeve a bit further away from the neck itself. This is to prevent staining on the wearer’s neck. On the other hand, he could completely change the style to give the attire its own originality.

In conclusion, Gaze of Luxury showcases an exceptional blend of sophistication and elegance. The use of simple fabrics in creating collections is worth applauding. We are amazed by the commendable show of effort and dedication portrayed through each piece of the collection. As the fashion industry continued to evolve and expand, collections like this are bound to keep its flag flying because of its peculiarity.